Violent protests flared again Monday night in central Kiev as demonstrators armed by bricks and Molotov cocktails fought against riot police near Dynamo Stadium on Hrushevskoho Street. The Kyiv Post reported on that 10,000 demonstrators were on the scene and that police were responding to the Molotov cocktail attacks by firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

The skirmishes marked the second day of violence in Kiev, which has seen many huge and largely non-violent protests in the center of the city since the #Ukraine government pulled back from a European Union trade agreement in November.

The clashes on Sunday were the most violent in the two-month Ukrainian uprising. Dozens of officers suffered injuries and protest leaders said 200 demonstrators were hurt as well. Numerous police buses were hit by Molotov cocktails thrown by protesters, and this morning the burned out hulks of the buses littered the area around Dynamo Stadium. The charred vehicles were bathed in ice from water cannon used to douse the flames.

President Viktor Yanukovych appealed for calm in a message on his website. Calling for "dialogue and compromise," he said, "I ask you not to join those who seek violence, who are trying to create a division between the state and society and who want to hurl the Ukrainian people into a pit of mass disorder." According to Reuters, he made no mention of possible concessions or peace talks with the opposition which were to have begun on Monday.

The main focus of today's clashes was again Dynamo Stadium near Mariinsky Park, according to the English-language news organization Kyiv Post.

The Kyiv Postdescribed the skirmishes as something of a "schoolyard rumble." The two sides seem to be far enough apart so that neither suffers injury.

Sometimes the standoff between police and protesters looks more like a schoolyard rumble, with a lot of posturing on both sides and a reluctance to engage in violence for understandable reasons (nobody wants to get hurt). The rocks and Molotov cocktails the protesters hurl at police from a distances are not likely to cause serious injury, considering that the police are standing usually out of range and protected by shields and helmets. And many of the protesters' shots didn't hit their mark. he protesters, on the other hand, are understandably wary of police, who could strike with batons or guns.

As darkness fell, protesters began building a catapult, presumably to sling projectiles over barricades and into the ranks of riot police. Protesters are reportedly chanting, "Load it."

The RT television network produced this video of protesters using it for the the first time and of police officers firing stun grenades in response to the new weapon.

The violence on Sunday erupted after the Ukraine government enraged many citizens with the enactment of a sweeping set of laws intended to curb public protest. The new laws banned protesters from wearing helmets, pitching tents and using bullhorns. Violators face steep fines and prison sentences of up to 15 years. The new laws also created stiff penalties for slander and libel.

A number of other journalists were detained by the police, including two with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. In addition, the Interior Ministry says it has detained 20 activists who were "witnessed to take active part in unlawful actions."

Videos also emerged on Monday showing police officers being attack by protesters. In the one below, two officers are briefly pounded by wooden clubs after being chased down by protesters. Other officers then fired stun grenades to chase away the crowds.

Also on Monday, several hundred activists gathered in front of the European Union offices in Kiev, urging sanctions against the Yanukovych government, according to the Kyiv Post. Hanna Hopko, one of the organizers, said, “These days Ukraine’s civil community unites and we have one clear message — dictatorship will be established if EU keeps silence, especially after the events of Jan. 19 in Kiev.”

"The increasing tension in Ukraine is a direct consequence of the government failing to acknowledge the legitimate grievances of its people. Instead, it has moved to weaken the foundations of Ukraine's democracy by criminalizing peaceful protest and stripping civil society and political opponents of key democratic protections under the law."

On Sunday, signs indicated that the Yanukovych government might take steps to negotiate an end to the crisis that has engulfed the country for more than two months. Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko tweeted that the president had pledged to set up a commission to resolve the political crisis.

But Monday afternoon, it was unclear whether a planned meeting between opposition leaders and aides to the president would take place. Klitschko said the opposition would only meet with Yanukovych directly to discuss the crisis.

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